--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I wouldn't go to America if I thought…" description: "\"I wouldn't go to America if I thought Americans were representative of their government.\" — Matty Healy" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/543/matty-healy-5022_america_i-wouldn-t-go-to-america-if-i-thought-am_1943403.jpg" --- # I wouldn't go to America if I thought Americans were… ![“I wouldn't go to America if I thought Americans were representative of their government.” quote by Matty Healy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/543/matty-healy-5022_america_i-wouldn-t-go-to-america-if-i-thought-am_1943403.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/543/matty-healy-5022_america_i-wouldn-t-go-to-america-if-i-thought-am_1943403.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/543/matty-healy-5022_america_i-wouldn-t-go-to-america-if-i-thought-am_1943403.jpg) > “I wouldn't go to America if I thought Americans were representative of their government.” [Matty Healy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matty-healy/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Skepticism about a nation's representation can deter travel, reflecting distrust in governance. **In simple terms:** Distrust of government may limit travel. Key Takeaway Research beyond stereotypes before deciding. Themes politics trust travel Mood critical inquisitive Type political philosophical When to use this quote - journalism - academic study - personal decision making Key Concepts national identity civic engagement Questions to Reflect On - How can you separate people from policies? - What sources give a fuller picture? A Different Perspective Not all citizens reflect their government’s actions. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [America](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/america/) [Government](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/government/) [Politics](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/politics/) [Representative government](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/representative-government/) ## Related quotes > [If the Christians who were alive in the 1770s behaved and believed like the Christians of today, there wouldn't be an America as we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/randall-terry/if-the-christians-who-were-alive-in-the-1770s-behaved-and-believed/) [Randall Terry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/randall-terry/) > [“As long as you have broad representation from many parts of society, representative government works extremely well. And it works even better when the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-carson/as-long-as-you-have-broad-representation-from-many-parts-of-society/) [Ben Carson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-carson/) > [Representative government demands an ongoing conversation between legislators and constituents.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-siegel/representative-government-demands-an-ongoing-conversation-between/) [Alan Siegel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-siegel/) > [A thriving middle class is a necessary precondition for a free representative government.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/timothy-noah/a-thriving-middle-class-is-a-necessary-precondition-for-a-free/) [Timothy Noah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/timothy-noah/) > [There's a real danger in the way our representative government functions today. It functions properly only when paired with accountability.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-snowden/there-s-a-real-danger-in-the-way-our-representative-government/) [Edward Snowden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-snowden/) > [There are a lot of benefits representative of government and it is far better than any type of dictatorial system and it is far…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-bovard/there-are-a-lot-of-benefits-representative-of-government-and-it-is/) [James Bovard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-bovard/) > [I am a firm believer in democratic representative government as the best form for those who have the tolerance and self-restraint that is required…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bertrand-russell/i-am-a-firm-believer-in-democratic-representative-government-as-the/) [Bertrand Russell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bertrand-russell/) > [“At Chicago I read again 'Philip Van Artevelde,' and certain passages in it will always be in my mind associated with the deep sound…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-fuller/at-chicago-i-read-again-philip-van-artevelde-and-certain-passages-in/) [Margaret Fuller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-fuller/) > [“As the Christian world is celebrating the Nativity once again, the roar of the guns, the cries of the dying and the wails of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walt-elias-disney/as-the-christian-world-is-celebrating-the-nativity-once-again-the/) [Walt Elias Disney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walt-elias-disney/) > [I thought that one of the things that we were losing sight of is the basic reasons that we do protect free speech and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/floyd-abrams/i-thought-that-one-of-the-things-that-we-were-losing-sight-of-is-the/) [Floyd Abrams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/floyd-abrams/) > [In America, where you'd have thought the country's so huge it couldn't happen quite so cosily, everyone's giving his imprimatur to everyone else. You…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-longley/in-america-where-you-d-have-thought-the-country-s-so-huge-it-couldn-t/) [Michael Longley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-longley/) > [And when the relics of humanity left among the Spaniards induced them to forbid their lawyers to set foot in America, what must they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-jacques-rousseau/and-when-the-relics-of-humanity-left-among-the-spaniards-induced-them/) [Jean-Jacques Rousseau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-jacques-rousseau/) > [I mean, we do believe in due process in America. I thought we did.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hooman-majd/i-mean-we-do-believe-in-due-process-in-america-i-thought-we-did/) [Hooman Majd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hooman-majd/) > [I got to tell you, when I wrote 'Adios America,' I thought there was a 10 percent chance of saving the country.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-coulter/i-got-to-tell-you-when-i-wrote-adios-america-i-thought-there-was-a-10/) [Ann Coulter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-coulter/) > [“There was no way his imagination could feel the impact of the whole Earth having gone, it was too big. He prodded his feelings…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-adams/there-was-no-way-his-imagination-could-feel-the-impact-of-the-whole/) [Douglas Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-adams/) ## More by Matty Healy > [I'd love to talk to myself at 40 and see what I've achieved and what I feel... but I will just be the same…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matty-healy/i-d-love-to-talk-to-myself-at-40-and-see-what-i-ve-achieved-and-what/) [Matty Healy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matty-healy/) > [I don't feel the need to be present in the culture unless I have a song out.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matty-healy/i-don-t-feel-the-need-to-be-present-in-the-culture-unless-i-have-a/) [Matty Healy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matty-healy/) > [Songs like 'Radioactive' by Imagine Dragons, it might as well be called 'Pikachu Banana.' It's nothingness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matty-healy/songs-like-radioactive-by-imagine-dragons-it-might-as-well-be-called/) [Matty Healy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matty-healy/) > [People who overshare because they think it's endearing can be quite exhausting. Self-deprecation is fine if it's real but anything performative is annoying.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matty-healy/people-who-overshare-because-they-think-it-s-endearing-can-be-quite/) [Matty Healy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matty-healy/) > [When we make a record, we live together and we wake up every day and we make music.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matty-healy/when-we-make-a-record-we-live-together-and-we-wake-up-every-day-and/) [Matty Healy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matty-healy/) > [In a world where people want answers immediately, I'm behaving a lot of the time in ways that contradict certain people's beliefs, or normally…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matty-healy/in-a-world-where-people-want-answers-immediately-i-m-behaving-a-lot/) [Matty Healy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matty-healy/) > [I've been writing about my life and my ideas since before I was even an adult! So you know, if you ask a gymnast…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matty-healy/i-ve-been-writing-about-my-life-and-my-ideas-since-before-i-was-even/) [Matty Healy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matty-healy/) > [“Who's to say tomorrow won't be the best day of your life?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matty-healy/who-s-to-say-tomorrow-won-t-be-the-best-day-of-your-life/) [Matty Healy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matty-healy/) > [I know that I'm not as smart as I think I am.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matty-healy/i-know-that-i-m-not-as-smart-as-i-think-i-am/) [Matty Healy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matty-healy/) > [I don't listen to rock bands.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matty-healy/i-don-t-listen-to-rock-bands/) [Matty Healy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matty-healy/) > [All of my flaws and all the things that make me up are part of who I am. It's about honesty and everything that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matty-healy/all-of-my-flaws-and-all-the-things-that-make-me-up-are-part-of-who-i/) [Matty Healy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matty-healy/) > [I didn't feel particularly cool when I was 16 or 17 but I felt accepted in a community of alternative music and the gig scene.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matty-healy/i-didn-t-feel-particularly-cool-when-i-was-16-or-17-but-i-felt/) [Matty Healy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matty-healy/) > [If fidelity really mattered, 'Loveless' wouldn't be one of the best records of all time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matty-healy/if-fidelity-really-mattered-loveless-wouldn-t-be-one-of-the-best/) [Matty Healy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matty-healy/) > [Some days I'm cool with getting canceled every week. Some days I'm not cool with it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matty-healy/some-days-i-m-cool-with-getting-canceled-every-week-some-days-i-m-not/) [Matty Healy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matty-healy/) > [I'll die on the hill of my records, but I won't die on the hill of my tweets.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matty-healy/i-ll-die-on-the-hill-of-my-records-but-i-won-t-die-on-the-hill-of-my/) [Matty Healy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matty-healy/) [Explore all 104 Matty Healy quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matty-healy/) ## More America quotes > [The costs of the Bush-Obama wars in Iraq and Afghanistan are now estimated to run as high as $4.4 trillion - a major victory…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/the-costs-of-the-bush-obama-wars-in-iraq-and-afghanistan-are-now/) [Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/) > [Young men, especially in America, write to me and ask me to recommend “a course of reading.” Distrust a course of reading! People who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-lang/young-men-especially-in-america-write-to-me-and-ask-me-to-recommend-a/) [Andrew Lang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-lang/) > [Well, The Day the Earth Caught Fire was a story... I don't if anybody knows what it is but it was about... in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/val-guest/well-the-day-the-earth-caught-fire-was-a-story-i-don-t-if-anybody/) [Val Guest](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/val-guest/) > [So here's what I want you to know, and here's what I want all our men and women in uniform to know: Because of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/so-here-s-what-i-want-you-to-know-and-here-s-what-i-want-all-our-men/) [Barack Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barack-obama/) > [Today, the world looks to America for leadership. And America looks to its Corps of Marines.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ronald-reagan/today-the-world-looks-to-america-for-leadership-and-america-looks-to/) [Ronald Reagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ronald-reagan/) > [The image of blacks usually is one of people who are suffering from hunger, unemployment, and poverty. The idea of them as agents and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/grace-lee-boggs/the-image-of-blacks-usually-is-one-of-people-who-are-suffering-from/) [Grace Lee Boggs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/grace-lee-boggs/) > [ I'll smoke, I'll cough, I'll get the tumors, I'll die, deal? Thank you America. \[salutes\] ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-hicks/i-ll-smoke-i-ll-cough-i-ll-get-the-tumors-i-ll-die-deal-thank-you/) [Bill Hicks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-hicks/) > [America is a democracy and has no Hitler, but I am afraid for her future; there are hard times ahead for the American people,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-einstein/america-is-a-democracy-and-has-no-hitler-but-i-am-afraid-for-her/) [Albert Einstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-einstein/) > [I'm gonna bring America together.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-trump/i-m-gonna-bring-america-together/) [Donald Trump](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-trump/) > [In the nineteenth century some parts of the world were unexplored, but there was almost no restriction on travel.:; Up to 1914 you did…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-orwell/in-the-nineteenth-century-some-parts-of-the-world-were-unexplored-but/) [George Orwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-orwell/) > [We need a system that serves our needs, not the needs of others. Remember, under a Trump administration it's called America first. Remember that.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-trump/we-need-a-system-that-serves-our-needs-not-the-needs-of-others/) [Donald Trump](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-trump/) > [America, you're sending girls a mixed message. On one hand, you're saying to have positive body image and love who we are; on the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adora-svitak/america-you-re-sending-girls-a-mixed-message-on-one-hand-you-re/) [Adora Svitak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adora-svitak/) > [You live overseas, you see these exotic places and you want to know about them. But, weirdly, it also made me homesick for all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-jennings/you-live-overseas-you-see-these-exotic-places-and-you-want-to-know/) [Ken Jennings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-jennings/) > [Freedom in every sense but primarily political sense, a rise in repression that stems from a repression of sexuality. It's AIDS, it's herpes, it's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-nicholson/freedom-in-every-sense-but-primarily-political-sense-a-rise-in/) [Jack Nicholson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-nicholson/) > [“In American terms, the accomplishment of Genghis Khan might be understood if the United States, instead of being created by a group of educated…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-weatherford/in-american-terms-the-accomplishment-of-genghis-khan-might-be/) [Jack Weatherford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-weatherford/) [Browse all 20,382 America quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/america/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I wouldn't go to America if I thought Americans were representative of their government.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Matty Healy" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matty-healy/i-wouldn-t-go-to-america-if-i-thought-americans-were-representative/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "America" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matty-healy/i-wouldn-t-go-to-america-if-i-thought-americans-were-representative/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/543/matty-healy-5022_america_i-wouldn-t-go-to-america-if-i-thought-am_1943403.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/543/matty-healy-5022_america_i-wouldn-t-go-to-america-if-i-thought-am_1943403.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/543/matty-healy-5022_america_i-wouldn-t-go-to-america-if-i-thought-am_1943403.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I wouldn't go to America if I thought Americans were representative of their government.” — Matty Healy", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Matty Healy", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matty-healy/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "I wouldn't go to America if...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matty-healy/i-wouldn-t-go-to-america-if-i-thought-americans-were-representative/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matty-healy/i-wouldn-t-go-to-america-if-i-thought-americans-were-representative/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```